How is the Female Nutria or Coypu able to feed her Babies while in the Water?

July 18, 2014 by Karen Hill | Filed Under: Animals

The nutria’s nipples are located rather high up on her front, almost to her back, so that her young babies can suckle without drowning, as she spends much of her time in water.

The nutria is fast and agile in the water but rather clumsy on land.

The Coypu is often mistaken for another rodent that lives in the wetland, the muskrat. The muskrat is smaller and has a laterally flattened tail that it uses to assist in swimming. The tail of a coypu is round.

It is sometimes also mistaken for a beaver, as both have a similar body shape, but they can be differentiated by the tail.

Nutria are herbivorous, feed on plants in rivers, and live in burrows along the water.